Frost-Heaving Cracking Sensitivity of Single-Flaw Rock Mass Based on a Numerical Experimental Method

A novel numerical experimental method is developed herein to study frost-heaving cracking in fractured rock masses by reproducing the physical experimental frost-heaving process. The failure mode of a preexisting closed and water-saturated single-flaw in a rock mass during the frost-heaving process is affected by the inclination angle, flaw width, crack length, and cooling rate. Additionally, a regression model for predicting secondary crack formation and propagation is established by combining multiple stepwise regressions. Overall, the results indicate that preexisting flaw with various inclination angles, flaw lengths, and cooling rates mainly propagates along the flaw-coplanar direction. The secondary crack failure mode is most affected by the flaw width, and the length of the secondary crack increases with increasing inclination angle, flaw width, and flaw length, but decreases with increasing cooling rate. The contributions of the investigated factors to the secondary crack length follow the order: flaw width > inclination angle > cooling rate > flaw length. The results presented herein provide crucial theoretical guidance for engineering and construction projects in cold regions.